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With every new car, Porsche has ensured better performance, more features, more creature comforts, all for more money. The speed factor the industry glosses over is that lap times are made by someone else, not driving a car they own. I've always preferred to limit abuse on cars I've owned. Even when I lived in Germany, I would limit myself on the Nurburgring as 1) I didn't want to wad the car up somewhere along the track (I've seen countless exotics crashed there), 2) no one is paying me to drive and potentially crash my own car, and 3) I never thought cars where as thrilling to drive fast as I mostly grew up riding fast motorcycles for my thrills. No car I owned while in Germany would come close to the performance of my 2007 MV Agusta F4 1000 R, which I had there and still own. Plus, you drive much faster to get to Nurburgring than you actually "can" anywhere on the track.
So I own a 718 BGTS, and regardless of how fast some have lapped other, lesser tracks, none of it convinces me that the car is more or necessarily as rewarding to drive as some of its predecessors. This is the crux of these comparisons in my eyes. If I still lived in Germany I would be evaluating the 718 based on high speed performance predominantly. How the motor feels at sustained high rpms, and how stable the car is. I'm sure it is competent. But as rewarding? I just don't see how. To me Porsche's mega smooth flat 6s are still the most rewarding motor offered to date in this platform. Maybe one day a bone stock 718 turbo 4 will best a 981 GT4 around the majority of closed circuits which the industry deems credible. Or maybe not. It will make no difference to me either way. 2016 is the last Porsche model year I will ever be as enthused about. Even if there are new GT4s and Boxster Spyders, will they be as raw and visceral. Time will tell.
There was a great post on driving the Nurburgring in the GT3 forum by Orthojoe. Basically, he remarked at how technical and blind all the corners are and how difficult it is to truly push the car there. Really makes you respect the pro drivers who are on the limit in every corner there. Also, coming from a background in MC racing myself, I am 100% in agreement that cars don't come close to the feeling you get on a bike! The difference is massive and I miss the adrenaline. But age and responsibility (3 of them) has pushed me to cars over bikes. My 600RR race bike sits in the garage still too! Can''t bear to sell it and don't want to go through the hassle of parting it out.
I own a 981 GTS and love it, but I test drove the 718S a while back and my lasting impression was the power band and torque. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other, they are totally different in character but for sure the low end power of the 718 is a huge advantage in both spirited street driving and track.
There was a great post on driving the Nurburgring in the GT3 forum by Orthojoe. Basically, he remarked at how technical and blind all the corners are and how difficult it is to truly push the car there. Really makes you respect the pro drivers who are on the limit in every corner there. Also, coming from a background in MC racing myself, I am 100% in agreement that cars don't come close to the feeling you get on a bike! The difference is massive and I miss the adrenaline.
I've tried to explain this to my car buddies over the years, but they never understood. Back when I lived for track days on my motos, my car buddies would try to convince me to come out to their DE days and I just knew that lapping in a car would never come close to the feeling you get on a bike. I broke down and did some passenger laps around Laguna in a friends track day car one day and it was exactly what I expected.
I've tried to explain this to my car buddies over the years, but they never understood. Back when I lived for track days on my motos, my car buddies would try to convince me to come out to their DE days and I just knew that lapping in a car would never come close to the feeling you get on a bike. I broke down and did some passenger laps around Laguna in a friends track day car one day and it was exactly what I expected.
True. Nothing in a car can replicate the feeling of knee down in turn 2 at Thunderhill rolling on the power and feeling the rear tire start squirming around.
Of course had I avoided bikes I also would have avoided breaking both wrists, ankle, collar bone, and ribs in various wrecks.
True. Nothing in a car can replicate the feeling of knee down in turn 2 at Thunderhill rolling on the power and feeling the rear tire start squirming around.
With every new car, Porsche has ensured better performance, more features, more creature comforts, all for more money. The speed factor the industry glosses over is that lap times are made by someone else, not driving a car they own. I've always preferred to limit abuse on cars I've owned. Even when I lived in Germany, I would limit myself on the Nurburgring as 1) I didn't want to wad the car up somewhere along the track (I've seen countless exotics crashed there), 2) no one is paying me to drive and potentially crash my own car, and 3) I never thought cars where as thrilling to drive fast as I mostly grew up riding fast motorcycles for my thrills. No car I owned while in Germany would come close to the performance of my 2007 MV Agusta F4 1000 R, which I had there and still own. Plus, you drive much faster to get to Nurburgring than you actually "can" anywhere on the track.
So I own a 718 BGTS, and regardless of how fast some have lapped other, lesser tracks, none of it convinces me that the car is more or necessarily as rewarding to drive as some of its predecessors. This is the crux of these comparisons in my eyes. If I still lived in Germany I would be evaluating the 718 based on high speed performance predominantly. How the motor feels at sustained high rpms, and how stable the car is. I'm sure it is competent. But as rewarding? I just don't see how. To me Porsche's mega smooth flat 6s are still the most rewarding motor offered to date in this platform. Maybe one day a bone stock 718 turbo 4 will best a 981 GT4 around the majority of closed circuits which the industry deems credible. Or maybe not. It will make no difference to me either way. 2016 is the last Porsche model year I will ever be as enthused about. Even if there are new GT4s and Boxster Spyders, will they be as raw and visceral. Time will tell.
Very well said. My history of always chasing the next best thing is a lesson in futility. There is a big chasm between having and enjoying a rewarding car and always looking for a more rewarding car.
Watkins Glen 2:05.98
718 GT4 with Akra pipes - no GPF's / 6-speed
20 inch cup two's N spec 295/245
Pagid RSL 29 yellows (front)/DS2500 (rear) pads
Full Track alignment - -3.2 front and -2.8 rear
02-15-2019, 01:28 PM
